Formulaic language and repetition in post-match football interviews
Applied linguistic perspectives on a media ritual
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jalpp.32814Keywords:
conversation analysis, formulaic language, media interview, media linguistics, media ritual, sports discourseAbstract
This paper presents a conversation-analytic study investigating the interactional functions of repetitions and formulaic language in post-match football (soccer) interviews. The study is based on a data set of 57 interviews with German male football players and focuses on the interplay between formulaic language, the communicative tasks accomplished by the interview and the interview’s role in the wider media social context as a ritualised dialogic genre. Unlike other types of media interview, the post-match interview is characterised by its collaborative and consensual style. It will be shown that formulaic language, whether conventionalised or locally produced, contributes to the interview as a social and ritual media event by signalling participation and cooperation. Insights gained into the role of formulaic language in international media sports communication might eventually help to inform media training and thus improve professional practice of journalists and players.
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